1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method, an arrangement and a set of a plurality of arrangements for eliminating at least one inconsistency in a database collection containing a database and at least one copy database of the database.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a method is disclosed in German patent document DE 196 07 132 A1 ('132) in which computers communicate with one another via a communication network (e.g., a data network, a radio network or else a conventional telephone network) using a communication protocol. A communication protocol means a protocol for stipulating the data format used for communication between computers. An exemplary communication protocol is the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
In the method in '132, a first computer stores a database and each further computer stores a copy of the database, called copy database below. The database and the copy databases are modified by a respective computer during a session, i.e., the data contained in the database or in a copy database, or the structure of this data, is modified. In this context, a database means a hierarchical or else object-oriented database, for example. A database contains data which is stored in accordance with a prescribed structure and is interrelated. Each object, i.e., each data record within the database, is usually unambiguously identifiable by means of an identifier.
Changes to a copy database are sometimes made without the same change also being made in the database itself, or else vice versa. If a consistent database is intended to be created from the respective copy database and the database, then it is necessary to ascertain and eliminate any inconsistency arising as a result of the data, or the structure of said data, being added, removed or changed. An inconsistency means any syntactical difference within a copy database and the database, i.e., any discrepancies arising in the copy databases and the database between the data elements contained in the database and a copy database, the properties of these data elements and their relationships with one another. '132 indicates various options for eliminating such an inconsistency.